Light AND Cushioned (Read 657 times)

    Skechers GoRun 2?

    Runners run

    LedLincoln


    not bad for mile 25

      I just got a pair of Altra Instincts.  Very light, very breathy, more cushion than my VFFs, anyway.  Yeah, and roomy toebox.

      bhearn


         more cushion than my VFFs, 

         

        Wow!

        northernman


        Fight The Future

          I'm now alternating among 4 different shoes, Kinvara4, Pureflow2, Altra Instinct 1.5 and my newest, Altra Torin. They are all pretty light and best of all, low (or no) drop and no significant medial post. (PF is completely gone, yay!) The Torin definitely have the most cushioning. Wearing any of the others is not bad, but I can definitely feel some stress from the road after 10 miles or so, while the Torins are more isolating. Unfortunately, they seem to run smaller than the Instinct and my toes don't have as much room to spread out. Overall, the instincts are the most comfortable but they seem to have a very "dead" feel, as if the sole absorbs my energy and doesn't give it back. They make me feel slow when I'm running. The Pureflow2 are the fastest of the bunch, hugging my feet very nicely and seeming to be light and responsive. Kinvara2's are my slightly least favorite of the four, since they squeeze my toes the most and I have fairly wide feet.

          LedLincoln


          not bad for mile 25

            A positive review of the Torins.

              Another vote for Virrata's.

                I really appreciate everyone's taking the time to offer options.

                 

                 

                 

                Nike Free...?  I run in the 5.0 (formerly known as the Free Run+).  The 4.0 and 3.0 have lower heel/forefoot ratio.  I believe they also make "Breathe" models.

                 

                One caveat -- I am now wearing the men's Free 5.0 when I could still cram my foot into the women's Free Run+ 3.  The sole is the same for these shoes, but when they came out with the 5.0 they cut the upper a lot snugger.  The men's is still none too roomy, so if you're looking for a lot of forefoot room this may not be the shoe for you.

                 

                Yeah, Zoomy, I am always looking for more room up there.  The Go Run 2 look good in that regard. I actually need a lot of extra space for my right pinkie toe; I broke it as a kid and it healed just a little "off." That makes the Go Run 2 that more attractive (or anything that's got mesh in the front corners).  

                "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus

                zoom-zoom


                rectumdamnnearkilledem

                  Yeah, Zoomy, I am always looking for more room up there.  The Go Run 2 look good in that regard. I actually need a lot of extra space for my right pinkie toe; I broke it as a kid and it healed just a little "off." That makes the Go Run 2 that more attractive (or anything that's got mesh in the front corners).  

                   

                  Ha, I just have extreme duck feet.  I'm contemplating picking up a pair of Bont cycling shoes, since they are ideal for crazy-wide feet...VERY boxy forefoot, especially compared to most of the shoes out there (my current shoes are men's and still not really wide enough).  I recently was checking out their fit wizard thing on their site, which has a person measure the length of their foot and the widest forefoot point, then plug them in.  It said "see us for custom shoes."  Yeah...not.  By bumping the length just a few more mm it put me in a men's 40 wide...which would be like a women's extra wide.  Needless to say, I don't really wear pretty, dainty, feminine shoes unless I can find them in widths (and then they are generally $$ and there's not a lot of selection).

                   

                  I may have to check out the Go Run 2s at some point.  I'm guessing I'd need to check Dick's or a mall athletic shoe retailer...?

                  Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                  remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                       ~ Sarah Kay

                     

                    Ha, I just have extreme duck feet.  I'm contemplating picking up a pair of Bont cycling shoes, since they are ideal for crazy-wide feet...VERY boxy forefoot, especially compared to most of the shoes out there (my current shoes are men's and still not really wide enough).  I recently was checking out their fit wizard thing on their site, which has a person measure the length of their foot and the widest forefoot point, then plug them in.  It said "see us for custom shoes."  Yeah...not.  By bumping the length just a few more mm it put me in a men's 40 wide...which would be like a women's extra wide.  Needless to say, I don't really wear pretty, dainty, feminine shoes unless I can find them in widths (and then they are generally $$ and there's not a lot of selection).

                     

                    I may have to check out the Go Run 2s at some point.  I'm guessing I'd need to check Dick's or a mall athletic shoe retailer...?

                    Not available at runningwarehouse, which is unfortunate given the amount of information they provide.

                    "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus

                    zoom-zoom


                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      Not available at runningwarehouse, which is unfortunate given the amount of information they provide.

                       

                      Yeah, I'd love to see what their fit dealie would show vs. other shoes I've worn.  Sometimes I think a shoe looks do-able, but then when I check RW I find that the toebox is all wrong and don't bother.  Generally I have found that shoe fitter to be really useful.

                      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                           ~ Sarah Kay

                        I like the Brooks Launch. It's 9.3 oz, which isn't crazy light, but the cushioning is great and for me they held up well ~400 miles.

                         

                        I've had issues with the Kinvara 4 cramping my pinkie (sp?) toe, I've never experienced that with the Launch. And, on account of my stride I suppose, I doubt I will get much over 300 miles on the Kinvaras.

                         

                        It's an older shoe with a more traditional 9.5mm drop. I ran 400+ on the pure cadence (the mildly stable variant of the pure flow), but prefer the Launch to that shoe as well.

                         

                        Additionally, I like the price point.

                          Came across this. Some might find it helpful.

                           

                          Last night, I was reading Anatomy for Runners (Seriously, read that book.) and he had some sensible talk about the "minimalism" trend.

                           

                          He recommended starting with reducing the heel drop of your shoe by 50%. (e.g., moving from a 12mm drop to a 6-8 mm drop).  I'll admit that I'll have to look up the heel drop on my current shoe.  

                          "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus

                          xhristopher


                            I have to admit that I've not at all engaged on the minimal shoe thing so I don't really know much about it. I can understand wanting lighter shoes. The value in that seems straight forward, to a point. What I'm not understanding is reducing heel drop. Obviously it's one way to shed a little weight but does it make you faster or less prone to injury?

                            bhearn


                              I think one idea is that a large heel drop means a thicker heel = more heel strike. Also, it leads to chronically shortened Achilles / calves. Coming from someone addicted to his high-heel-drop shoes. But I will get there.

                              northernman


                              Fight The Future

                                NaderAlfie,

                                I added yet another pair to my collection: the Newton Energy shoes. I give them two thumbs up, and suggest you test them out. Relatively light, about 6 mm drop, very soft upper that lets my toes wiggle nicely. I'm donating all of my other shoes to the recycling bin. (Anyone want some essentially unused Kinvara 4's size 10.5?)